Cornfields

Chip Thurmond, a 33 year-old high school English teacher in San Jose, CA, has a problem. Her name is Estella Santos, an obsessed, conniving, 17 year-old who sits in the back row of Chips 2nd period class. The girl, who fancies herself Juliet and Chip her Romeo, will stop at nothing in her pursuit of her inspiring English teacher. One afternoon she meets with him after school and fabricates a story about her dad molesting her. She pleads for Mr. Thurmonds assistance, but is empathetically told the two of them will meet tomorrow with Estellas school counselor. Thats not what Estella had in mind! That night she contacts Chip, telling him shes run away and has nowhere to go. Can he please, please help her? She ends up on his apartment couch and when Chip rebuffs her advances . . . its game on for Estella. Early the next morning, Chips principal discovers on his cell phone pictures of Estella at Chips apartment, including one of her wrapped only in a sheet. Chip is placed on administrative leave pending his dismissal and thinking it best, Estella decides to disappear. Assuming his arrest imminent, Chip buys a trailer and heads east eventually landing in the little town of Jones Lake, KS where he hopes to enjoy anonymity while finding employment at the towns small, rural K-12 school. Street-smart, fearless, and a little crazy, Juliet soon picks-up her Romeos trail. Her only wish in life it seems is for the two to consummate their love or die trying.Jones Lake, Chip assumes, is a small, innocuous place where little happens, He soon finds out differently. Loaded with intrigue, romance, mystery, crime, and mysticism, the small town is full of off-beat characters, including: a homeless man claiming to be an angel; a troubled but beautiful teaching colleague plotting the death of her husband; an ornery chief of police whos antagonistic toward everyone; a girl-next-door parent smitten with Chip; a cemetery caretaker who talks with the dead; and many more.And, as if it couldnt get any worse, Chip learns from his previous school that Estella Santos has learned his whereabouts and is en route. Is it time to flee again Chip wonders or has he journeyed far enough? Is he ready to confront the must cunning, self-assured person hes ever known and again risk his career. Or, maybe its just time to pack his bags and head to North Dakota?